Means for attaching fixtures to outlets



March 18 1924.

H. HUBBELL MEANS FOR ATTACHING FIXTURES TO OUTLETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed March 1921 ATT'oRNEY March 18, 1924. 1,486,896

, R v H. HUBBELL MEANS FOR ATTACHING FIXTURES TO OUTLETS Filed March 1.1921 2 sheets-sum 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 18, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARVEY HUBBELL, OF BRIDGEPO RT, CONNECTICUT.

MEANS FOR ATTACHING FIXTURES T OUTLETS.

Application filed March 1, 1921. Serial No. 448,784,.

(Case A), of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for attaching and supporting electricfixtures and for electrically connecting them with the house wiring.

In accordance with the present building practice it is customary to havethe house wiring done by a skilled electrician prior to the plasteringor other finishing of the walls, outlet boxes being provided at thepoints where fixtures are to be attached, and the ends of the wiresbeing left loosely protruding from these outlet boxes and from thewalls, the work of the house wirer being at this time completed. In thesubsequent work of putting up the fixtures, the services of a skilledelectrician are again required in or- 2 der to make the necessaryelectrical connections between the wires of the fixtures and the looseends of the house wires above referred to. Moreover, the mere mechanicalwork of properly attaching the fixtures themselves, so as to make a neatjob, calls for considerable special ability, so that the placing of thefixtures usuall requires the services of two skilled wor men or of aworkman who is virtually skilled in two trades. Furthermore, when theends of the house wires are merely left protruding from the walls, thereis nothing to indicate the house circuits of which they form a part, orthe capacity of such circuits, or to prevent the attachment of fixturesto the several outlets of such capacity as collectively to overload thecircuits in question.

The primary object of the present invention is to overcome thesedifliculties and to provide an outlet device of such a character thatwhen the work of the house wirer is completed the remaining workof-attaching and connecting the fixtures may be performed without theexercise of special skill, means being provided for minimizing thedanger of overloading any house circuit.

A more articular object of the invention is to provi e a combinedfixture support and current outlet or tap which may be readily put inplace by the house wirer and whereby the fixtures can subsequently beeasily and quickly set up and the necessary electrical connectionssimultaneously made by a simple operation requiring no special skill orexperience, the construction being such as to facilitate standardizationof the parts, thereby permitting any fixture to be applied to anyoutlet, and making it possible to interchange the fixtures at will.

Other objects of the invention are to provide an improved fixturesupport, which is of inconspicuous and pleasing appearance when nofixture is attached thereto, which has no openings or depressions inwhich dirt can accumulate, and which, although applied when the housewiring is done, is not subject to injury during the subsequent finishingof the walls.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the novelcombined fixture support and connector which I will now describe,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a central. longitudinal vertical section of the completedevice, taken substantially on the line 1-1, Fig. 4, showing the fixtureattached.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the support and its associated outlet tapwith the fixture removed.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 1-4, Fig. 1, with the canopy omitted.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the attachingdevice carried by thefixture.

eferring to Fig. 1, 10 denotes the wall studding, 11 the lathing, and 12the plastering between which and the studding I0 is the usual air space13 containing an outlet box 14 of any suitable form, secured to thestudding 10 by screws 15, and into which lead the ends of the houseWires 16. The ends of the wires 16 are electrically connected to thesocket terminals 17 of a receptacle 18 composed of insulating materialand of any usual or well known form, said receptacle constituting anoutlet tap and forming one member of an electric coupling, thecomplementary member of which 105 is carried by the fixture, ashereinafter described. 19 denotes a sub-plate connected with thereceptacle 18, as by angle brackets 20 riveted to said plate and engagedin notches in said receptacle. 21 denotes screws attaching the sub-plate19 to the outlet box 14, as by engagement with threaded openings in earsformed at the outer end of a frame or yoke 22 located in said outlet boxand secured to the bottom thereof by screws 23, or, if preferred, anyother suitable means may be employed to secure the plate to the outletbox. The sub-plate 19 is of a sufficient length to extend beyond theedges of the opening in the outlet box 14:, so as to rest at its endsupon the face of the wall beyond said opening, and is covered andenclosed, when the support is fully assembled, by a face plate 2% ofpleasing shape and finish. The face plate 2% is provided with a centralopening 42 to receive the outer end of the receptacle 18, and is securedin place by the screws 21 which secure the sub plate to the outlet box.

25 denotes the stem of an electric fixture which may be of any desiredcharacter and which is, therefore, not shown in detail herein. The stem25 is of tubular form to enclose the wires 26 which lead to the lamps,or other current consuming devices carried by the fixture. The wires 26are connected at their inner ends to the plug terminals 27 of a cap 28which is composed of insulating material and constitutes an electriccoupling member complementary to the receptacle 18. The stem 25 may, ifdesired, be covered by a finishing tube 29 and has a threaded inner endto receive a threaded collar 30 secured in place thereon by a set screw31. The collar 30 has a swaged connection with an attaching member inthe form of a thimble 32 loosely surrounding the cap 28 and having atits inner end an attaching flange 33 adapted to bear against theface-plate 2d and preferably faced on its inner side with cushioningmaterial 34L to prevent marring the finished surface of said face-plate.The screws 21 are formed with shouldered heads to constitute attachingstuds which are received in circumferentially disposed keyhole slot-s36, in the flange 33, being retained in the narrower ends of said slots,when moved thereinto, by engagement with one of them of a flat retainingspring 37 riveted to the flange 33 and having a finger piece 38 wherebyit may be raised to release the stud, the raising movement being limitedto the requisite amount by a lug 39 projecting from the thimble 32. Theentire combined support and coupling may, if desired, be enclosed andcovered by the usual ornamental canopy dO secured in place upon thefixture stem by a set-screw 41. Thus it will be seen the outlet box withthe plates 19 and 24 and screws 35, forms a fixed supporting device forthe fixture.

When the house is wired, the ends of the wires 16 are connected with thesocket terminals 17 of the receptacle l8, and the subplate 19, by whichsaid receptacle is carried,

is secured to the outlet box by the screws 21, or, preferably, by othertemporary screws em ployed for this pu-rpose.- The )arts are left inthis condition during the su sequent finishing of the wall, any marringof or other minor injury to the sub-plate 15) at this time being whollyimmaterial inasmuch as said sub-plate is subsequently covered andconeealed by the face-plate 2st. After the walls have been finished, thetemporary screws are removed and the face-plate 2i attached by the screwstuds 21, said screw studs also serving to permanently secure thesub-plate 19. The parts will then be in the condition shown in Figs. 2and 3 and may be so left if no fixture is to be attached, said parts insuch event presenting a finished and attractive appearance and beingincapable of accumulating dirt, the studs 35 not projecting to asufficient extent to constitute objectionable obstructions.

When it is desired to attach a fixture, the canopy 40 of such fixture ismoved outwardly upon the fixture stem by loosening the set-screw 11, theplug terminals 27 of the cap or coupling member 28 are inserted in thesocket terminals 17 of the receptacle or complementary coupling member18, and the studs at the same time introduce into the wider portions ofthe keyhole slots 36, the retaining spring 37 yielding to permit suchinsertion. Thereafter, the fixture is given a slight turn to carry thestuds 35 into the narrower portions of the slots 36 and permit thespring 37 to lock said studs in this position. This'turning movement ofthe fixture is permitted without disturbing the previously effectedelectrical connection by reason of the loose mounting of the cap 28 inthe thimble 32 and the flexibility of the wires 26 which permit thenecessary turning movement of said ca 3 in said thimble. The canopy 40is finally moved back against the wall and secured in place by theset-screw 4:1, thereby completing the attachment and connection which,as will be seen, has been efi'ectively but quickly and easilyaccomplished without the exercise of any considerable amount of skill.It will also be seen that any fixture can, if desired, be as readilydetached and moved to another point or replaced by a different fixture,it being understood that the fixed Supporting devices will be identicalwith one another, throughout the building, as will also the attachingdevices carried by the several fixtures, thereby rendering said fixturesreadily interchangeable.

The outer face of each of the receptacles 18 will preferably beinscribed or imprinted with suitable characters to indicate the currentcarryin capacity of the particular circuit of whic r it forms a part, asindicated at 13 in Fig. 2, thereby enabling the person attaching thefixtures to readily determine whether or not said circuit will beoverloaded by the attachment of any particular fixture.

Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. The combination with a fixed supporting device having projectinstuds provided with enlarged heads, of a flange provided with keyholeslots adapted to receive said studs and engage the same under saidheads, a flat spring carried by said flange adapted to engage one ofsaid studs forlockin said studs in the narrower portions of sai slots,and a stop lug for limiting themovement of said spring.

2. In a device of the character described, a support, studs comprising ahead, an intermediate portion of smaller diameter than its slot.

3. In a devlceof the character described,

the head and a reduced portion of smaller diameter than the intermediateportion and provided with means for securin it to the support, a fixturehaving key ole slots adapted to receive the heads of the studs andembrace the intermediate portions to sup port the fixture, and a s ringplate on the fixture adapted to abut t e head of one of the studs toprevent removal thereof from ture having a an outlet box including asupport and adapted for mounting in a wall, a face-plate therefor, studsthreaded at one end, having a head at theopposite end and provided withan intermediate shoulder spaced from the head, said support havingthreaded engagement with the studs, the shoulders of the studs abuttingthe surface of the face-plate to space therheads therefrom, and afixture having keyhole slots adapted to receive the heads of the studsand embrace the studs between the heads and face-plate to supfixtureadapted to abut the head of one of thestuds to prevent removal thereoffrom its slot. p In testimony whereof. I afiix my signature. -r

I HARVEY HUBBELL.

